UK-wide Survey by tabs® of Freelancers, Contractors and Zero Hours Shift Workers Shows New Work Life Balance Revolution Via Smart Technology

LONDON, July 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

The modern day Holy Grail seems to be the search for the elusive work/life balance. But a recent survey undertaken by the makers of tabs® (http://www.mytabsapp.com), a powerful mobile solution enabling live, fully automated staff deployment for businesses that employ, or agencies that use shift, contract, freelance and temporary workers, has uncovered some revolutionary results on that search front.

The survey highlights how freelancers, contractors and even zero contract shift workers are utilising smart phone technology to create greater freedom of working hours, greater choice in work placements, greater speed in securing chosen placements and time savings on paperwork to provide a much enhanced work/life balance. Unfortunately, they also state that recruitment agencies and employers are lagging way behind them in the technology stakes and need to catch up if they are to snare the very best workers for their businesses and clients.

The survey shows that 88% of all freelance, contractors and zero hours workers use smart technology when it comes to searching for work placements, using job boards on smartphones or tablets. However, 78% said that after the initial search has been done it's a manual process afterwards to secure the work and that is time consuming; a staggering 90% believe technology would speed the entire process up.

Their inspired use of technology has resulted in a seismic shift in loyalty with 87% saying they are no longer loyal to one recruitment agency and work across the books of many, scheduling working lives around their own time and family commitments. This is creating a balance sadly lacking in many permanent positions, where standard working hours are supplemented with a liberal dose of overtime, often unpaid, that seems to be the expected requirement for career progression in an increasingly 24/7 world.

81% of freelancers and agency staff said that their biggest bugbear is recruitment agencies being behind the times when it comes to embracing smartphone technology to manage jobs, timesheets and invoicing, with 71% stating that agencies they've worked with still use paper timesheets. Furthermore, 79% say the way agencies manage documentation is outdated and should be done using smart technology. 64% say there is little communication with the agency outside of just placing them on a job, while 72% would like to have a two communication via smart technology with the agency, utilising social media in the job marketplace as source of information about individual companies, not just positions available.

Greg Wixted, Head of Innovation at Xpert iLabs, inventors of tabs® says, "Freelancers and zero hours staff are now able to pick and choose their own hours allowing particular sections of the community like working mums to work around their family's needs. As we all know life today is fast and things change quickly; being able to react to a job alert as your situation allows and wherever you are, via apps and portals such as tabs®, is radically changing working life. Zero hours positions, previously seen as menial and factory jobs, are now being seen as enablers of life choices."

It's not only those at the freelance and temporary coal face that believe technology must be used to greater effect; industry leaders in the recruitment field have cited 5 key technological factors that will play out over the coming year including:

1. Content and community-enabled careers portal  
2. Mobile jobseeker ready  
3. Understanding BIG data and context  
4. Content and community-enabled careers portal  
5. Mobile jobseeker ready  

All of which tabs® provides to employers and employees alike, via standard or custom options of the ground-breaking end to end innovative platform with features that include:

• Geo-location and real time temporary worker availability and search function
• Multiple layers of search criteria displayed in a simple format
• Live temporary assignment and job alerting and acceptance via App and SMS to either the agency or HR teams temp or freelance candidate pool
• Quickest travel route to the job for the temporary workers with reporting & travel directions
• A unique client portal for recruitment agency clients to search and issue live jobs & shift  requests allowing for 24/7 and out of hours service
• Automated timesheet sign off and approval via a dedicated smartphone App
• Automated submission and approval of compliance documents via the App
• Automated client billing and invoicing for agencies and freelance contractors
• Client/manager evaluation and rating of temporary staff and freelancers
• Social media integration for candidate acquisition
• A full suite of Management Information reporting
• Postcode search and address verification

So, if technology is 'the great enabler' it's gratifying to know that it is also proving to be 'the great leveller', where blue collar positions are now positions of choice for those for whom a work/life balance is more attractive than an all-consuming power career. Long live the recruitment revolution!

NOTES TO EDITORS

Greg Wixted - Founder, Head of Invention and Managing Director of Xpert ILABSLtd   

Greg is a dynamic and committed award winning integrated marketer & innovation professional with boundless energy and deep understanding of what makes consumers tick, which stems from his training as a strategy planner. He has regularly worked with senior blue chip boards to develop strategic and innovative ideas to evolve businesses and help them grow and co-authored a book on innovation and creativity. He has brought 10 new innovative businesses to market and managed over 50 innovation.

If you would like further information on tabs® , or you would like to schedule an interview, please contact either Greg Wixted or Irena Dragic at Xpert I LABS over

T: +44-(0)20-3-290-7757

E:irena@wearexpert.com or greg@wearexpert.com. Please visit http://www.mytabsapp.com to find out more about tabs®, including videos and screenshots of the app.